DLH v. HoJo Kids Suite? HoJo wins for us

[smiles33]

This is copied from my Trip Report, as I wanted a broader audience to see it. I know many people are die-hard on-site guests. My opinion isn't going to sway them. But many other families are likely like mine: tempted by the advantages of staying on-site but then reluctant to pay the huge cost difference. For us, we can afford staying on site but I always want to get the best value for my money. I decided to take the plunge on this recent trip and book on-site. While I don't regret it, it helped me realize that a HoJo Kids' Suite works best for my family and our needs.

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So I think this deserves its own post. Staying on-site is expensive at DLR, especially when you consider how close the off-site motels are. On our past 2 family trips to DLR, we stayed in a Kids' Suite at the Howard Johnson. I loved it our first trip: 2 rooms (1 with a comfortable king bed and 1 with bunk beds), 2 bathrooms, a microwave, and a mini-fridge all for only $99/night (thanks again to jory29 for giving us her reservation back in Sept. 2011 at that amazing special rate).

On our second trip, it was about $180/night, which was still a great deal for 2 rooms just 8 minutes from the Esplanade. I looked into it for our third trip but it was $244/night. That price really surprised me. On our last trip, the carpet looked dingier, the ambient hotel noise from other guests seemed louder, and I realized that the bloom was off the rose. I really didn't think it was worth that much. Plus, it made the difference between HoJo Kids' Suite and on-site rates that much lower. So I decided to splurge on DLH. Plus, the pool and waterslides looked amazing at DLH.

Here's my breakdown comparing the two.

Pros for DLH:
* Early Magic Hour access, however CS and TSMM were both down on both of our EMH mornings in DCA so we spent the time in RSR stand-by, which I would prefer to do via FP. So it wasn't as helpful as I had hoped it to be.
* Amazing water slides for kids (though my girls never played at the HoJo's water area because they took naps)
* Ability to order cocktails while sitting poolside (though it took HUGE efforts to flag down wait staff every time we wanted to order when we rented a cabana, so I was quite annoyed about that)
* Ability to order room service (which we never do so it's not a huge pro for us)
* Disney theming (Mickey ear faucet handles, lamp bases, etc.)

Neutral/Push comparing DLH and HoJo:
* Service. I thought DLH service would be amazing, but it wasn't any better than HoJo. I had to actually ask for a birthday button for my 5 year old, even though I made sure it was noted on the reservation when I booked the room. No special Disney magic at all for us. We also didn't get any towel animals, which I thought folks here mentioned DLH staff made for them.
* Location. I hated pushing through the crowds in DTD walking to the Esplanade, compared to walking from HoJo when you cross right at Manchester and have the sidewalk to yourself. But there aren't homeless people in DTD so I think it's a push between the two. The monorail was not as advantageous as I had hoped, as it only went to Tomorrowland and sometimes had a long line.

Cons for DLH:
* Very expensive
* Heightened expectations which weren't met, for us (I expected higher level service, special little touches, etc.)
* Lower value. Room had 2 queen beds, 1 sink, 1 toilet, 1 bathtub, 1 mini-fridge (without the freezer compartment) and no coffeemaker (at least none that I could find!) compared to HoJo's King bed, bunk beds, sofa bed, 2 sinks, 2 toilets, 2 bathtubs, Keurig, microwave and mini-fridge.
* Uncomfortable and noisy bed, as it squeaked when you shifted your weight even slightly! DH and I weigh about 300 pounds total so it's not because we're overweight. It was hard finding a comfortable spot so I was tossing and turning at first but the squeakiness made me feel like I really shouldn't move. DDs' bed didn't squeak but together they are less than 100 pounds, so I assume the bed will squeak for anyone who weighs more than 100 pounds.


Thus, I don't think we'll be staying on-site again anytime soon. I'd rather stay at HoJo in a Kids' Suite with more space. If we can ever get a deal on a villa at GC, that might be worth splurging on but I don't want to do a family trip in a standard hotel room again.

 

[nannyz]

We are in the same position -- we can afford to stay onsite but cannot justify the expense.
We always stay at the HoJo and have never been disappointed. Their Customer Service is excellent, the beds are comfortable, the rooms are quiet, and my grandkids love the kids' pool area.

 

[Disney Dory]

It sounds you had a good experience at HoJo. We did the first time we stayed there and we thought we had found a gem, but we stayed a second time and we were terribly disappointed! Our room was dirty, the air conditioner didn't work, it was really loud and hot. The third time we went, we decided we would give them one more chance, since our first trip was okay and they were offering retro rates which were great. However, this was the worst trip of all! We noticed what looked like a booger on the faucet and blood on the carpet. Not only was our room filthy, there was blood on one of the sheets and the pillow cases smelled like dirty heads! When we asked housekeeping to change the sheets, all they did was turn the sheet around so the blood was on the other end! Again, there was a problem with the air conditioner and the room was so loud! At 5:30 in the morning they had workers outside our door ripping up carpet and working on the wall. My daughter and I like to stay late at the park and I have to say it was scary walking back to the HOJO at midnight! There were homeless people asking for money, there was no security and it was very dark and a long walk back to the HOJO. We decided to save our money and stay on site on our last trip. What a difference!! We stayed at the DLH and our rooms were clean! This time we had my grandbaby with us and it was so nice to be so close and use the monorail and be dropped off so close to the hotel. Other times we walked through DTD and loved it! We felt like we never really left the park and it was not scary at all walking back to the DLH late at night. It is well lit up and there is security all through DTD. We felt safe and the staff were so friendly to us. They even upgraded our room to a pool view! We will only stay on site from now on! It made a huge difference in our whole Disney experience!

 

[smiles33]

Yikes! That sounds like a horrific HoJo experience. It was very clean and we never had construction noise on our 2011 and 2013 visits. How long ago did you stay? Is this a recent problem?

Unlike you, we tend to leave by 8 pm at the latest, so walking back was never an issue for me. I always crossed at Manchester to avoid the crowded sidewalks on the other side. Once you pass the bus shelter, you rarely see anyone else. Yet I definitely could understand being scared if I were walking at midnight alone, though.

I actually missed the white noise from the in-room air conditioner as I could hear neighbors' TV while at DLH (the AC wasn't loud enough to drown out other noises). At HoJo, I kept the AC on all night so we wouldn't hear neighbors or the freeway. It worked like a charm but I'm sure some folks prefer no noise. DLH was quiet in the early morning when we got up at 6 am but going to bed before 10 pm was hard because of neighbors who stayed up talking and watching TV.

Anyhow, like I said in my initial post, I know this is a controversial opinion and I'm sure plenty of people will disagree with me. I'm just shocked that the DLH experience wasn't significantly better than HoJo given the cost difference. The few advantages to doing so in my opinion aren't worth the extra cost.

 

[Disney Dory]

The last time we stayed at the Hojo was in 2012. Hopefully it has improved. I realize it is a very controversial thing, but I really, truly feel the DLH WAS exceptionally better than HOJO! Clean rooms, super friendly workers and housekeepers, the upgraded room, being close and feeling safe is huge to us! Taking the monorail back to the room in the afternoon saved our feet and it was like taking another ride to our hotel! My granddaughter got to see Goofy at the hotel and played peek-a-boo with him, the grounds are so pretty and it was a much more relaxing experience for us. Again, I would rather save a little longer and stay at the DLH. Just my opinion and like you said people have different experiences and like different things. Glad you enjoyed your stay at HOJO and it works well for you and your family.

 

[707MickeyGirl]

I hadn't thought about what it would be like walking back to HoJo's late at night, like after WoC or Fantasmic. I'm taking my DGD6 in November and we're staying off-property for the first time, but I might need to rethink that. It will just be the two of us and I don't want to worry about our safety when returning to the hotel at night.

 

[sweethannah]

I hadn't thought about what it would be like walking back to HoJo's late at night, like after WoC or Fantasmic. I'm taking my DGD6 in November and we're staying off-property for the first time, but I might need to rethink that. It will just be the two of us and I don't want to worry about our safety when returning to the hotel at night.

The length of the walk isn't a problem but I can understand your concern. If you leave with everyone else there will usually always be a group at the light waiting to cross towards the bwppi and other hotels or restaurants. You will turn left past the Fairfield and then one more crosswalk to the Hojo.
More often than not we would walk directly left upon exiting the Parks especially during the day and only cross once further down but there is more pedestrian traffic across the street and there is comfort in numbers especially in the evenings.

If you keep your reservation at the hojos I don't think you'll be disappointed. I liked our stay very much. The staff are absolutely great. The spray park area was really nice. DD9 loved it and we had the chance to enjoy it because of the heatwave.

Mind you I have never stayed on site and those properties set the bar high. Its not a Disney property and you do get a dose of everyday/non resort life when you leave. Its not unpleasant but some ppl really like that resort feel.

 

[707MickeyGirl]

I'm totally fine with the length of the walk. I just don't want to be creeped out while walking back late at night. We probably wouldn't be out past 10:30/11:00 at the latest because my DGD is only 6 years old. I'm going to mull it over for a while, but I'd love to hear actual experiences from people who have walked back from the parks to HoJo's after 10pm or so.

 

[Kittyskyfish]

I'm totally fine with the length of the walk. I just don't want to be creeped out while walking back late at night. We probably wouldn't be out past 10:30/11:00 at the latest because my DGD is only 6 years old. I'm going to mull it over for a while, but I'd love to hear actual experiences from people who have walked back from the parks to HoJo's after 10pm or so.

DH and I have stayed at both the HOJO and Fairfield (next door) many times on our trips and we usually get back to the room after 11:00 p.m. Harbor Blvd is still relatively busy that late at night and you'll be walking with a number of other park goers; kids, teens, and adults. You'll invariably pass by people in their pajama pants and tops as they step out of the Fairfield to make a late night run at McDonalds. I've never seen so many fleece patterns in my life! Never once did we feel threatened or unsafe on Harbor.

Over the past several years we've seen pan-handling street performers at the main crosswalk but they will not bother you. I usually see a guy playing guitar and he brings his dog with him. Some other guy plays a saxophone. Well, it's been six months since our last trip so maybe the performances have changed! lol You'll also pass the bus stop outside of the Best Western, but you'll see as many tired cast members trying to get home as you'll see average people waiting for the bus, too.

HTH!

 

[jenpace]

We've walked back to Hojo's many times after 10:00 PM. The only time I had a weirdo bother us was once, in 2011 but it was about 1:30 in the afternoon. We only walk along DL, across the street from Mimi's and the other hotels. After the incident in 2011 I was wary of even staying at Hojo's again because of that walk but I'm glad I gave it another chance, we've stayed there most of our visits (about 3 times/year) since then and there haven't been any problems.

 

[Dave2425]

We stayed at DLH last week and the beds were very comfortable. It was one of the best hotel beds we've ever slept on.

 

[DizMe]

I'm totally fine with the length of the walk. I just don't want to be creeped out while walking back late at night. We probably wouldn't be out past 10:30/11:00 at the latest because my DGD is only 6 years old. I'm going to mull it over for a while, but I'd love to hear actual experiences from people who have walked back from the parks to HoJo's after 10pm or so.

I hate that walk. I really do. I've done it many times and most of the time I don't feel unsafe, just...yuck. I've had to step over people on the sidewalk and I don't like it. I've often been approached by hawkers and street people, which I prefer to avoid. That isn't a reason that's going to make many people give up the savings but it's a big one for me.

I did want to mention that if you stay at Hojo, don't return at night on the other side of the street. That was often mentioned as a short cut, since you avoid the hotel side, but by the time you get closer to Hojo it's fairly dark and you are walking next to dark bushes. My dd and I did that one night and a guy jumped out of the bushes right next to us. It scared the heck out of us. He wasn't trying to frighten us (I don't think), he had just been sleeping back there but it did remind me how vulnerable you could be. Stick to the hotel side and you'll be fine.

 

[Phoenixrising]

While I think walking from HOJO's at night with a family is fine (safety in numbers), I feel creeped out walking it at night when travelling solo to DL. It's one of the biggest reasons I booked BWPPI on my solo trip to DL in Nov/13. I'm really glad I did. For me I just didn't feel safe walking to HOJO's at night when I stayed there on a solo trip in Oct/10. Between the homeless people, which are in any city no matter where you live, and the time share people, it makes walking to the parks a bit of a challenge at times from HOJO's.

 

[GatorChris]

Interesting. After staying at PPH and at ParkVue, I've never thought of what the walk might be like. And since DL won't let you carry weapons into the parks, that means you're defenseless coming back to the hotel on the non-DTD side.

 

[smiles33]

We stayed at DLH last week and the beds were very comfortable. It was one of the best hotel beds we've ever slept on.

Maybe they only replaced beds in some of the rooms after the renovation? OR maybe my room just had a particularly bad bed? It was the bed closest to the door, which I've read before tends to be the one guests choose so maybe the girls' bed by the window was better even for adults? We were in 2580 and it was one of the 5 worst beds I've ever had and I've stayed in some 2 star establishments far worse than the HoJo Anaheim.

 

[jenpace]

We stayed at DLH last week and the beds were very comfortable. It was one of the best hotel beds we've ever slept on.

I don't think all the beds are equal at the DL if Dave2425 had comfortable ones in his room. We stayed at The DLH a year ago in February and the beds were really, really bad. As in, gave all of us backaches and hip aches which has never happened before at any hotel. The beds were a big part of our decision to never stay at The DLH again. It makes a huge difference in how you feel during your entire visit to the DLR when your body hurts from a bad mattress.

 

[707MickeyGirl]

Thank you for your comments on the walk back to HoJo's at night, everyone. I really appreciate all of the feedback! I think I will give HoJo's a try at least this once and see how it goes, but I actually have several months to make a decision before our next trip.

 

[Hojoanaheim]

Thank you all for your feedback! Our Hotel Staff is dedicated to provide value, quality and great service to all our hotel guests. In regards to the walk from Disneyland, I personally feel safe walking to our hotel on Harbor. I like to walk on the hotel side of the street, because there are usually more people walking on that side. The “short-cut” side definitely has less traffic, but can be pretty dark. I have seen a couple homeless people on both sides, but they normally do not bother you. If you prefer to avoid the walk late at night, we are one of the stops for the ART shuttle and the last shuttle runs about 30 minutes after park closing. I hope that helps

Disney Dory, as far as the issues you had with the sheets and the room in general, we sincerely apologize for the way the situation was handled. I have spoken to our Head of Housekeeping to insure that an issue like yours does not happen again. We have also added new air conditioning units to many of our rooms, and we try not to do any maintenance work before 10 am. I do hope that you consider giving us another try.

-Kriss

 

[5forMickey]

When we asked housekeeping to change the sheets, all they did was turn the sheet around so the blood was on the other end!

Oh my, you are much nicer than I, that poor maid wouldn't have had a behind left if she had done that to me I don't think I could have finished my trip staying thereafter that. I agree about the walk that is why I like to stay in the bubble, we just feel a little safer there which may be a false sense, but we do.

I have spoken to our Head of Housekeeping to insure that an issue like yours does not happen again.

That is pretty good of you to post an apology In fairness I think every Hotel has had a yikes minute.....so it's nice you addressed it.

 

[peterpanandwendy]

Thank you all for your feedback! Our Hotel Staff is dedicated to provide value, quality and great service to all our hotel guests.

Hi Hojoanaheim… can I just say, I stayed at your hotel for my Honeymoon 7 years ago and we thought it was really wonderful! We are coming back in August and staying at Hojo again, and I am so happy to see your commitment to providing a quality service to your guests! This has made me feel very confident in my choice